publishED BOOKS

Guide to Standardized Drumset NotationPublisher: The Percussive Arts Society Distributor: Hal Leonard Publishing​ One of the biggest challenges for anyone attempting to notate a drumset part is that there is no absolute “standard” in terms of what makes up a drumset. Through this book, the Percussive Arts Society provides guidelines to aid performers, teachers, students, composers, arrangers, orchestrators and music engravers in producing clear drumset parts for a variety of uses. These guidelines cover the majority of situations and provide basic principles to help people arrive at logical solutions to unique circumstances. Topics covered include: general notation, drums, cymbals, noteheads, voicing, improvisational notation, and more. These guidelines have been endorsed and adopted by the Percussive Arts Society, several major music magazines, music publishers, and the notation software programs Finale and Sibelius.

Peter Erskine: "...I hope and recommend that ALL composers, arrangers, authors of pedagogical studies and drummers read, digest and use this long-awaited standard of drumset notation. Norm Weinberg has done contemporary music a great service with this book..."

Ron Spagnardi: "After much research, Norm Weinberg has carefully refined and clarified the current, most common methods of drumset notation. If everyone who writes for drumset adopts these guidelines, the ambiguities inherent in much current drumset notation can be alleviated."

John LaBarbera: "This book is a must for all arrangers and orchestrators. I wish this text had been around years ago when I was trying to make sense of the collective, 'hand-me-down' drum notation of the day. Let's have a big drum roll for Norm Weinberg!" ​George Gaber: "Authors, publishers, composers and performers are now liberated to communicate in a common notational language. What a triumph to release us from the 'medieval' practice of slash marks with the term ad lib."

With music changing more than ever before, the electronic drummer is becoming high in demand. This book, from Modern Drummer Publications (distributed by Hal Leonard Music), is the book for the electronic drummer, beginner to advanced. It covers everything - from the most basic information to controlling sophisticated MIDI setups involving multiple-input devices, sound sources, and more. Topics covered include: The Basics of Sound, Drum Machines, Electronic Drums, MIDI, Computers, Sound Reinforcement and Electronic Setups. No "modern drummer" should be without this book.

In 1988, Norman self-published his first book called Demystifying MIDI. The book sold 300 copies in South Texas in less than one month! He then contacted Alexander Publications to see if they might be interested in publishing the book on a national/international level. Alexander Publishing added the book to their catalog and changed the name to The Last MIDI Book. Due to a conflict between Norman and the publisher, the book was taken out of print in 1989 after selling nearly 2,000 copies. Since that time, the book has remained out of print but can be purchased directly from VAP Media​You can purchase a digital copy of Demystifying MIDI at ​https://www.vapmedia.com/